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UFC Fight Night 174: Lewis vs. Oleinik might’ve been relatively low on name value, but the action in the Octagon more than made up for that. With one glaring exception – more on that later – this was a night full of exciting fights, from wild prelims to most of the main card. Overall, of the 12 fights on tap, we got six finishes, which is never a bad thing.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Fight Night 174: Lewis vs. Oleinik.
#1 Best: UFC record-breaker Lewis finds another knockout
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The first round of Derrick Lewis’ main event fight with Aleksei Oleinik last night didn’t go so well. After bombarding the Ukrainian with some punches in the early going, ‘The Black Beast’ found himself grounded and was soon stuck on the defensive.
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His ground game, in all honesty, looked atrocious at points. And it was only his huge size that prevented Oleinik from submitting him with an old-school scarf hold. But Lewis always has the big equalizer – his monstrous punching power – and it worked for him once again in the second round.
A huge right hand sent Oleinik crashing to the ground in the opening seconds of the stanza, and some thumping punches that followed sent ‘The Boa Constrictor’ into the realm of unconsciousness. Even for a UFC Heavyweight, it was a ridiculous display of power.
The knockout was Lewis’ 11th in the UFC – a new record for the promotion at Heavyweight – and while his issues on the ground will probably keep him from real title contention, he remains one of the promotion’s true cult heroes. Basically, whenever ‘The Black Beast’ appears on a UFC card, it’s worth watching.
#1 Worst: The dull Kunitskaya vs. Stoliarenko fight
While most of last night’s 12 fights delivered in terms of action, the Women’s Bantamweight clash between Yana Kunitskaya and Julija Stoliarenko sadly didn’t. This was arguably one of the worst fights of 2020 to watch.
Kunitskaya’s attempts at putting together offense were largely stymied by Stoliarenko, who seemed determined to get the fight to the ground without really having the means of doing so. It all added up to way too much clinching on the fence, and while Kunitskaya won handily, the fight probably didn’t do a lot for her standing in the UFC.
But was it also a pointer to some deeper issues in the UFC when it comes to their women’s divisions? Quite possibly. While the Strawweight division is largely loaded with talent, the same can’t be said for Flyweight, Bantamweight, and Featherweight.
While most of the weight classes in the UFC go through thin periods, it’s hard to shake the idea that on the female side, the promotion’s addition of the Flyweight and Featherweight divisions has watered things down.
When the UFC first added the Women’s Bantamweight division, there were plenty of title contenders. Now though, it feels like there are hardly any. Would that be the case if 135lbs was the only option? Quite possibly. By introducing more weight classes, the case may be that the UFC has simply spread a smaller talent pool slightly too thinly.
#2 Best: Dariush’s KO of the year contender
Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush was already responsible for one of 2020’s best UFC fights – a back-and-forth brawl with Drakkar Klose back in March. But last night he uncorked one of the best knockouts of the year, too.
Opponent Scott Holtzman had never been finished in his 17-fight MMA career, but Dariush was clearly out to change that. He hammered ‘Hot Sauce’ with clubbing blows throughout the first round, but despite busting his eye open badly, it looked like Holtzman would survive.
Instead, Dariush switched things up and hit him with an absolutely brutal spinning back elbow. The shot sent Holtzman crashing to the ground and while he wasn’t unconscious, it was clear that the fight was over.
The win was Dariush’s fifth in a row, and while the fact that he missed weight takes some of the gloss off it, it’s clear he’s due another step up in competition. Will his lack of natural athleticism give him issues again in a step up? Possibly, but when he’s putting on fights as exciting as this, it’s definitely worth pushing him there.
#3 Best: Weidman gets back in the winner’s circle
I’ll make no bones about it and admit that I’ve always had a soft spot for Chris Weidman – dating back to his 2011 UFC debut. That’s why it was so good to see him pick up his first win since 2017 last night, even if it came in less than flashy, workmanlike fashion.
Compared to the likes of Dominick Reyes, Jacare Souza, and Yoel Romero, Omari Akhmedov was clearly a beatable opponent for Weidman. And although it looked dodgy for him at times – he was hit with some big shots standing – in the end, ‘The All-American’ was able to grind the Dagestani fighter down for a decision.
Weidman’s striking defense still looked questionable at times in the fight, and it was surprising to see Akhmedov take him down given his wrestling pedigree. However, the fact that he didn’t end up unconscious was a huge move in the right direction, and when he did get on top, he comfortably outworked the Dagestani.
Post-fight, ‘The All-American’ suggested that he might be ready for another run at the UFC’s elite fighters at 185lbs. Personally I wouldn’t be so sure right now – I’d prefer to see him test the waters against another lower-ranked opponent in order for him to continue a winning streak. Either way though, it was nice to see this former great back in the winner’s circle.
#4 Best: Sanchez unleashes the power of the mullet
Plenty of the fights last night could’ve made it into this article. Darren Stewart’s guillotine choke of Maki Pitolo was excellent, Kevin Holland picked up a nice knockout, and the fight between Tim Means and Laureano Staropoli was excellent in general.
However, the best moment on the prelim card to me came when Andrew Sanchez knocked out Wellington Turman with a beautiful one-two. The winner of TUF 23, Sanchez came into last night with a 4-3 UFC record, and due to his grinding style, it seemed doubtful that he’d ever gain real traction in the Middleweight division.
That changed last night though. Sporting a freshly grown mullet, Sanchez’s striking looked massively improved. And he unleashed it on Turman, catching him with some big shots before completely starching him with that brutal one-two late in the first round.
Will this mark a new beginning for ‘El Dirte’? We can only hope so. If that is indeed the case, he’ll be a man to watch going forward in the UFC’s already-packed Middleweight division.
